Lake Isabella to Bushcamp
24.9 miles
Mile 676.2
I woke up on April’s living room floor at 6 feeling surprisingly fine. We had nowhere to be until 9, when the post office opened allowing Spikes to grab her package, so we dallied a bit before walking over to Subway for breakfast.
Spikes, Swift, Mike and I said our goodbyes to Echo, Sea Biscuit, Gandalf and Critter before leaving. I bummed that we probably won’t run into them again since they plan to get off trail for a week or so to allow some of the snow to melt from the Sierras. They’re good peeps!
The road walk to Subway took longer than I’d expected. I had remembered it being just around the corner…which wasn’t the case at all. At least we got Youngblood looking after our 2nd amendment rights…
When we arrived at Subway I ordered a 6 inch ham and egg breakfast sub on multigrain flatbread with all the veggies. It was terrific. The foot long I’d ordered the previous day was wrapped snugly in my pack for dinner that evening.
On our way to the post office from Subway we walked by a group of rafters prepping for a day of navigating the waters of the Kern River. One of the guides remarked that he would often give rides to hitching hikers, but was never sure whether they were homeless or thru hikers…I felt a bit slighted at the remark, but thanked him for his support regardless.
At the post office Spikes successfully retrieved her package. Her parents had sent her a desperately needed new pair of socks, along with an assortment of food. Having already purchased what she needed for the two day resupply, she shared what she didn’t want with us. I scored two protein bars, so that was neat!
We waited it front of the post office for Steve to arrive. Steve had given Swift a hitch into town the previous day, and had offered to drive him back to the trail in the morning. Shortly after 9 he pulled up and we hopped in.
Just past 10 we arrived at Walker Pass Campground where the trail resumed. We said hi to a few hikers waiting for a hitch in the shade before getting started. We had a big day ahead of us, between the late start and 25 miles, it was going to be a long one.
The trail took us up onto a mountain side covered in yellow wildflowers. It was freaking gorgeous!
There was a nice sitting rock, a great view and cell signal at this memorial plaque, so I took a break to upload the previous days blog while Spikes and Mike trucked on.
From there I ridge walked for a bit, before descending into a valley where a side trail took me down to Joshua Tree Springs. There was a warning that trace amounts of uranium had been found in the water, but I figured it would just give me super powers or something, so down the hatch it went.
Moving on, I had another 12 miles or so until camp. The trail roller coastered a bit before dipping all the way down into another valley. Somewhere during this section Swift caught up to me, so we hiked it together.
When we reached Spanish Needle Creek, the last water source of the day, I was surprised to find two rather young looking individuals playing in the creek. I didn’t see backpacks, parents or signs of camping, so it was all a bit confusing. I told Swift we’d cross the creek again in a half mile, so we pushed on rather than interrupt the mountain children’s play time.
After filling our bottles in the creek, we began the 7 mile 2000 ft ascent up the mountain. The climb wasn’t bad, but the last two miles were rough due to the crazy cold wind constantly trying hard to push us from the ridge.
Just before sunset we turned a corner to find Spikes wrapped in her sleeping bag. She wasn’t sure where Mike was. I decided I’d join her, while Swift continued on in search of a better place to pitch his tent.
The lack of sunlight combined with the fierce winds convinced me to forgo pitching my tent in favor of joining Spikes out in the open to cowboy camp. This was my first time going without the shelter of my tent, so I’ll let you know how it went tomorrow.
Anyways, I laid out my tent and placed my sleeping pad and quilt on top of it before tearing into the foot long sub I’d been thinking about all day. It was incredible, soggy bread and all!
Dinner digesting in my tummy, Spikes and I spent a while staring into space before succumbing to the cold and shrinking into our sleeping bags.
Today was rad…just another 25 miles to crush tomorrow until we arrive at Kennedy Meadows where Diva is waiting. Super pumped to see my buddy again and enter the Sierras proper. Prepare yourselves for some epic photos!!!!
Cheers!